ERIC Number: EJ710388
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Jan-1
Pages: 2
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1089-5701
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
When Kids Seek Help On-Line: Internet Chat Rooms and Suicide
Becker, Katja; Schmidt, Martin H.
Reclaiming Children and Youth: The Journal of Strength-based Interventions, v13 n4 p229 Win 2005
Many youth in conflict are reaching out to the Internet for virtual support and guidance. This is a brief alert about this new risk confronting children with suicidal ideations. In most countries, mortality from suicide is the second or third leading cause of teenage deaths. The incidence of suicide attempts peaks during mid-adolescence. Evidence supporting existence of suicide contagion continues to amass from studies of suicide clusters and media impact. Suicide increases proportionally to the amount, duration, and prominence of media coverage. Imitation effects depend on the model's characteristics and the extent of behavior reinforcement. The impact of suicide stories on subsequent completed suicides appears to be greatest among adolescents (Schmidtke & Schaller, 2000). Media counseling and guidelines for editors can help minimize imitative suicides (AACAP, 2001). The Internet is an increasingly important medium among adolescents and young adults, who use it as a source of information and to communicate (e-mail, forums, and chat rooms). This article describes various online sources of suicide discussion and information.
Descriptors: Internet, Young Adults, Adolescents, News Reporting, Help Seeking, Suicide, Computer Mediated Communication, Editing, Imitation, Counseling, Guidelines
Crisis Prevention Institute. Circulation Department, 3315 North 124th Street Suite H, Brookfield, WI 53005. Tel: 800-285-7910; Fax: 262-783-2360; e-mail: rcy@crisisprevention.com; Web site: http://www.crisisprevention.com/store/reference/rcy.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A